Why do the pigeons fly away?

Question

i feed them everyday have done for years have they no trust in me the fly away when i throw out the bread and come bk when they think im not there?

but im not going to hurt them they hang on the line in the morning cause they no im going to feed them but fly when i open door

Answer 1

its thousands of years of evoution which has forced them to associate human as preditor, humans naturally appear to be preditors due to the set up of there eyes which is at the front of the head same as dogs, cats and wolves, prey have eyes at the side to give an improved field of vision as seen in sheep, cattle and deer.

the pigeons view everything as risk vs reward, they could eat while your there but they will feel at risk where as if they wait till you leave they will feel safe,

pigeons have no long term memory as such only built up instinct, they may remember yesterday you fed them and they waited so they survived but they will not think of it in terms that you have never tried to attack them,

the only way to get them to stay is to offer them a food sourse which is only available while you are there then goes away this may alter there perception of the risk vs reward eqauation which they adhere to

Answer 2

These pigeons obviously are very streetwise and mistrust people. It's not you, they know you're the bread lady but they just don't want to get close to any human. They may have had people take potshots at them with airguns etc. Here I've often seen little kids chase after the pigeons and it's obvious that even toddlers are trying to step on them, or they throw rocks etc. Hope people are more civilized where you live, but from the bird's reaction I'd say they have learned to be very, very shy. They appreciate the bread but don't want any other contact.

Answer 3

you could try buying a soft toy that looks realistically like a cat, place it where the pigeon can see it, this might them think twice and move away! you could also use the soft toy fasten to a length of fishing line, throw this at them a few time until they get the message! I did this when I had a similar problem, it worked for me!

Answer 4

I think its just a natural thing for them to do, once they hear the door open any bird would fly away,,,, keep up the good work tho

Answer 5

Even though you mean no harm they are wild animals and will by there very nature not trust you as you are the enemy. Even though your not. In the wild its the strong and the fastest and smartest survive. I'm sure they enjoy the daily bread crumbs...

Answer 6

They fear man and rightly so based on how their parents react. Their fear is passed down through the generations which helps protect them from harm. Wise pigions

Answer 7

but you don't understand....to them you're a 5 foot something that COULD possibly eat them. They don't know you only want to be friends. It's a matter of survival to them...

Answer 8

It's natural instinct for wild animals like that to be afraid of people.

Answer 9

they fly off to *hit on somebody then come back to your bread for more ammunition .

Answer 10

they see you have a hidden motive and if you ever did catch them you would make pigeon pie out of them.